Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Bit by Bit

At Weight Watchers, when we reach any sort of weight loss milestone (every 5lbs, 25lbs, etc.) our leader asks us to share something with the group that's been working for us. Since I reached 25 pounds lost at the last meeting, I spoke about my change of mindset with regard to the speed of weight loss

So, here's the thing--weight loss is not a race. I know, crazy idea, right?

Weight loss is like having a baby; no two people's experience is exactly the same. What works for one person may not work for another person; hell, what worked for you last time may not work for you this time!

I had a hard time with this when I first started WW; I'd hear how quickly others were losing weight in comparison to myself (one person who joined after me had lost 25 pounds before I even reached 10 pounds lost--that one hurt!), and I couldn't help but get a little discouraged. PCOS is a real jerk that way.BUT! I never gave up. I never even thought about giving up. It wasn't even an option that entered my mind.

Instead, I just kept at it. Sure, I had some off weeks, some weeks/months where I just didn't care.

But I didn't quit. I didn't throw in the towel, as I had so many times in the past.
Slowly but surely, bit by bit, my weight went down. I stopped trying to eat super healthy all the time, and have settled for most of the time. I've made Weight Watchers work for me and my lifestyle.

I decided that I wasn't willing to live on fat free milk (ugh), fat free cheese (blech), or boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the rest of my life. I love my milk creamy, my cheese cheesey, and my chicken moist (hello boneless, skinless chicken thighs!). I love good, frosting-laden birthday cakes and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. I'm not afraid of a little fried seafood or a good burger and I love a Frappuccino.

And that's okay. I plan and fit these things into my lifestyle the best I can (most of the time). Instead of eating 3 pieces of cake in one sitting, I eat one. Instead of eating the whole pint of ice cream in one sitting, I eat half. If I eat fried seafood one day, I'll eat grilled the next.

We each make our own choices, our own decisions, and we make our own path to healthy. There is absolutely no one perfect way to get there. I'm sure that my path looks vastly different than other paths, and that's okay.

12 comments:

Sound advice! Weight-loss is so unique to each person, and I get frustrated with people taking a one-size fits all approach to WL. Good for you for allowing yourself the permission to do it on your own terms. FF milk and cheese are awful! Life is more wonderful with more fat in one's dairy products! I'm glad that WW is working for you - I know you said you found a leader and group that you liked. It didn't work for me because the groups I went to at my local WW center also were very rigid-minded in how they approached weight loss and food - definitely an all or nothing type of mentality. Members also got really competitive about how fast they were losing weight, and I with my PCOS was inching along painfully along the journey. PCOS sucks!

I've definitely been fortunate to find the WW group that I'm part of; I've been in groups in the past where members were very clique-y and it was hard to really talk to anyone. And I agree, life is definitely better with fat in our dairy! Haha.

Figuring out what works for you is KEY. Remembering that you're in it for the long haul - weight loss as well as weight maintenance - and continuing to eat the foods you enjoy, but in moderation, will mean that you'll not only be successful, but happy as well. You're doing an excellent job with this! :)

So true! When I lost weight the last time, it really messed me up when everyone would give me advice- I always thought I needed to follow what everyone else was telling me to do. This time, I'm just doing what I know works for me.

About Me

I'm a 32-year-old mom of 2, wife of 1, living in New Orleans. I am a (recovering) binge-eater who took back control of her health once and for all in May 2014, and is making peace with food (and herself) with the help of Weight Watchers and running.